Early warning system for floods and international law

Another country that is facing floods in many parts of its territory is India. One of the many recent floods that hit Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state in India on February 7, highlights the importance of disaster management mechanisms. The disaster occurred in the upper catchment of the Rishiganga River, a tributary of the Alaknanda, which led to a sudden rise in the water level of the Rishiganga which destroyed the Rishiganga Hydroelectric Project as well as the Tapovan Vishnugad Hydroelectric Project.

Indian topography is susceptible to floods. This means that they are an annual risk that is set to be implemented in some provinces. The National Flood Committee in India has attributed the floods in India and its resultant devastating effects to anthropogenic factors. The Indian government has highlighted several deficiencies in flood management and underdeveloped flood forecasting, and early warning systems are critical to these gaps. Other shortcomings include a lack of implementation of flood management programs, a lack of public participation in decision-making, and a lack of accurate information on floods in Germany. However a major factor is the lack of adequate financial resources for flood preparedness and response.

Another country that is at risk of flooding due to its topography and position below sea level is the Netherlands. However, the country is not prone to frequent flooding, and has emerged as a survivor largely by focusing on recovery from floods and land reclamation. The Dutch have been known to develop dams for centuries to enhance flood prevention, and water security issues have been a part of their lives. Going forward, with the aim of ensuring regional cooperation, they have the Security Sector Act which seeks to achieve an efficient and high quality organization of fire services, medical aid and crisis management under a regional management board. The overarching objective of the Act is to structure sensitive areas in the same manner as police areas are marked.

The current Dutch water security approach or flood risk management focuses on flood preparation as well as flood prevention and mitigation. In this context, disaster management includes efforts not only to develop an adequate disaster management system, but also to increase awareness and resilience that led to the formation of a flood management task force, the rationale being to reduce the impact of potential floods. can be done. Empowering the society to deal with the crisis by mitigating the impact of extreme weather events which in turn saves the country from floods.

The rules and guidelines within international disaster response law address the roles and responsibilities for managing and responding to disasters, mitigating the impact of disasters, and reducing disaster risk. However, there is no comprehensive legal framework that can alone guide international disaster law. However, aspects of regional law, bilateral agreements and disaster law are included under international humanitarian law, human rights law, and refugee law. This distinction underscores the need for a legal framework and enhanced disaster law and response at both the international and national levels.

Internationally, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 provided an opportunity for nations to adopt and guide disaster risk reduction and disaster laws at the national level. The Sendai Framework can guide countries’ disaster-related policy actions at the national, regional and bilateral levels. It is the successor to the Hyogo Framework for Action, which, among other laws, directed international disaster response legislation. The Sendai Framework recognizes that “disaster risk reduction is a common concern for all states” and therefore all states have respective responsibilities. It requires shared action, collaboration, engagement and partnership. It sets out priorities for disasters, i.e. understanding disaster risk, strengthening disaster risk reduction for resilience, investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience and enhancing preparedness for response and “building better”. For.

The basis of these disaster priority action is an understanding and foresight of the various aspects of the disaster. This means developing data to understand the infrastructure for dissemination of this information for disasters, their risks, foresight of occurrence and ultimately action. The gravity of Chamoli district disaster India is linked to the lack of necessary monitoring, early warning system and holistic disaster management system.

This means that the mechanisms to collect relevant scientific data about a disaster, predict its occurrence and eventually disseminate information to those at risk have many gaps and have proved ineffective in India. For example, the first information about disaster in India came from social media. However, according to the director of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, which is an autonomous natural resource research institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, there was enough time to predict the disaster and evacuate. Everyone is at risk.

In this context, a UN University report published in January 2021 assumes significance as it highlights the need to destroy old and unsafe dams, which are highly prone to disasters and floods. The report said that the issue of safety of dams in India requires the responsibility of the government and the closure of unsafe, old dams. The issue of dam safety is not dealt with by any law, and a bill is pending before Parliament. In addition, there exist inadequate databases and community or region-specific adaptation and mitigation strategies to help identify vulnerable communities and regions and help enhance learning among the public and ensure accountability of those responsible. There are gaps in India with respect to the collection of data or information regarding disaster risk and the dissemination of this data through early warning systems.

However, India is not the only country that suffers from such a difference. This systemic difference was also exposed during the German floods. In Germany the flood warning system or early warning system was a ‘monumental failure’. The severity and scale of damage during the German floods could have been avoided if early warning systems were in effect and the German government was better prepared overall. The failure arose because early warnings were not implemented and acted upon “as a matter of policy”, resulting in death, distress and disaster. The European early warning system issued a warning of devastating floods a week earlier. The Dutch government complied with this warning and issued an early evacuation warning and evacuation, while the German government did not act on the initial warnings.

The Dutch government has an advanced early warning and warning system for disasters and life-threatening situations. They regularly test their sirens to make sure they work properly, especially in emergency situations. The Dutch practice has been recognized as a good practice in this digital age and climate change because of the many proven benefits of the system. The early warning system in the Netherlands had its shortcomings when it was initially developed. However, with habit and practice the flood warning system has become an advanced life saving tool. If this device is applied in countries like India and floods in Germany, then millions of lives and property can be saved and the damage can be reduced.

Abhinav Mehrotra is a lecturer at OP Jindal Global University